“She’ll be fine,” Laylen says more to himself. Fidgety, he reaches for the lighter I lit the candles with and starts messing around with it.
“So what exactly happened back in Iceland?” I ask Alex. “Did you ever go back and see if you were right about the Banshee not being your mother?”
Alex slumps back against the wall, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. “I went back to check, and it wasn’t my mother.”
“So how are you going to find your mom?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Go back to Draven, find out why he didn’t give me the right address in the first place, and if all else fails, I’ll beat the shit out of him until he gives me the correct one.”
I place a hand on his arm. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I won’t. I promise I won’t.” His eyes burn fiercely with passion as his hand slides around the back of my neck. “I just want to touch you right now, so fucking badly.”
My heart slams against my chest as I shut my eyes and breathe in Alex’s scent. I want him so badly, too.
Laylen clears his throat as he gets to his feet. “I think I’m going to go get some fresh air.” He rushes for the ladder and hastily climbs out of the hole.
The second we’re alone, Alex tugs on the ribbon lacing up the front of the corset. My breasts spring free, and his lips cover my nipple. He sucks hard, and I cry out, my back arching into him. Then he groans, gently biting down, and I nearly lose it.
“I just want things to be like this,” he whispers as he kisses a path up my neck to my chin, “forever.”
Suddenly, he blinks and his head wobbles like he’s about to faint.
I cup his cheek. “Are you okay?”
He nods, blinking. “I’m . . . fine . . .” His brows dip in puzzlement as he studies me, looking at me in a way I don’t quite understand.
“Can we just lie down for a minute?” he finally asks.
I nod, feeling completely lost, but I do what he asks and lie down on the dirt beside him. After I lace my shirt back up, I rest my head against his chest. I can hear his heart beating wildly, but the longer we lie there, the fainter it gets. When I glance up at him, he has fallen asleep. For some reason, that makes me smile. He looks so peaceful at the moment, more content than he ever has.
“I want to stay this way forever, too,” I whisper then rest my head on his chest, listening to his heart thudding until I fall asleep, too.
I wake up when Aislin returns, and Alex jolts awake a split second later.
“What time is it?” Laylen asks, sitting up and stretching his arms above his head.
“I have no idea,” Aislin says. Her hair is wild, and she’s breathing heavily. “What I do know is that faeries are mean. Like really, really mean.” She plucks a leaf out of her hair and flicks it to the floor. “And to make this whole thing even more complicated, I now owe Luna a magic spell.”
“Who’s Luna?” I sit up, arching my back as I stretch.
“She’s the Empress of the Fey Realm.” Aislin rubs some dirt off her cheek. “And she’s not very nice.”
“The fey never are.” Alex sits up, rubbing his hands up and down his arms like he’s cold. Even though he slept, he somehow looks more tired, the bags under his eyes more prominent. “All right, let’s get this over with. I don’t want to waste any more time.”
“Are we just going to meet back here?” I ask him, growing even more concerned when he yawns.
He shakes his head. “No, let’s meet at your house. There’s something I need from there, anyway.” He reaches for my hand. “Can I borrow your ring?”
“Why do you need it?” I ask.
“In case my mother’s in her ghost form,” he says. “I promise I’ll give it back, Gemma. Just trust me.”
“I do trust you,” I say, realizing how true my words are. I trust him with my life, with everything.
I slip off the ring and set it in the palm of his hand.
“Thank you.” He kisses me quickly on the cheek, and I hear him gasp.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask, leaning back to catch his gaze.
He nods, slipping the ring on his pinkie finger. “I’m more than okay.”